


Naked Chef

by binkty



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Oops I Saw You Naked, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-22 16:58:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16601942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/binkty/pseuds/binkty
Summary: Standing in front of the grill, obviously oblivious to her presence, was Ichabod Crane as she'd never seen him. If not for the solitary apron he wore, he would have been completely naked.˙





	Naked Chef

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NotErika](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=NotErika).



Abbie was thankful Ichabod had texted earlier to say he was taking care of dinner. 'Off to the market to fetch things for supper was there anything you'd prefer?' was how he phrased it. She'd told him whatever he wanted was fine and now she was eagerly looking forward to finding out his choice because it had been a day and she just wanted to sit down with an already prepared meal and forget all about it. 

She expected to find Ichabod labouring away in the kitchen when she walked into the house, as that had come to be a familiar sight on nights when it was his turn to cook, but was disappointed to discover him not there. She peeked into the dinning room as she walked in further but Ichabod wasn't there either. And neither was the room set for their meal. Another unusual development considering Ichabod always prided himself on his proper table settings. 

Abbie was confused. The kitchen had obvious signs of use but the stove wasn't on and there were no completed dishes that she could see. And where was Ichabod? She was on the verge of becoming concerned when she remember the rarely used grill in the backyard. A leftover from the previous owners, Abbie often forgot about its existence but that had to have been where Ichabod was.

She started toward the back of the house, through the laundry room that doubled as Ichabod's makeshift bedroom – where Ichabod seemed to have a load of laundry on the go, judging by the sound of clothes tumbling in the dryer – and opened the back door. 

The immaculately set tableware she spied laid out on the patio table was proof of Ichabod's presence. Abbie smiled, he had a simple tea light candle instead of his usual candelabra but he'd cut a bouquet of wildflowers to use as a centrepiece. She was just about to call out to him when she saw him and the words died in her throat.

Standing in front of the grill, obviously oblivious to her presence, was Ichabod Crane as she'd never seen him. If not for the solitary apron he wore, he would have been completely naked. Unable to stop herself, Abbie's eyes raked over the abundances of skin left on display. Broad shoulders tapering down to a slim waist and a surprisingly well-rounded backside with lean, toned muscle all along the way. 

She raised an eyebrow with interest and bit her lip to hold back her amusement. 

"So we're nudists now?" she asked through a smile. 

Ichabod whirled around at her voice. "Lieutenant!" He tugged at the apron in a futile attempt to cover more of himself. "My apologies. I'd hoped to be more properly dressed by your arrival." 

"I'm sure you did because right now you're not even dressed at all," she teased further, grinning even harder as a red flush started to creep over his entire body. 

"I… there was a mishap during our dinner's preparations, with the marinade. My clothing was sullied," he attempted to explain, fingers flailing wildly at his sides. His eyes flickered from her eyes to the floor, unable to hold her gaze for longer than a fraction of a second. "I thought I had time enough to launder them before your return." 

"Not quite it seems." Ichabod just nodded, eyes still downcast, and Abbie closed her eyes and shook her head once, tamping down her amusement. He was clearly mortified and she had to do something to help make it better.

"Do you want me to go get you a towel or something to wear until your clothes are dry?" she asked. "I'd offer you the use of my robe but I don't know if it'd fit so it might not really be all that helpful," she added with smile. 

Her little joke had the intended effect as Ichabod huffed out a small laugh. He nodded again, smiling shyly. "Thank you, Lieutenant. That would be much appreciated indeed." 

"Okay, I'll be right back," she said and turned to head back into the house.

Abbie chuckled to herself the entire way up to the linen closet where they kept the towels. Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever expected to come home to that. Prim and proper Ichabod Crane standing there with his ass hanging out. Good God if Jenny had been there with her she would've had a field day! And as much as she wanted to, Abbie was undecided about whether or not to tell her about it precisely because of that fact. Poor Ichabod was embarrassed enough. The relentless teasing Jenny would undoubtably subject him to would be close to falling into the category of cruel and unusual.

What she really needed to do was come up with a way to alleviate his embarrassment. Let him to know neither she nor her sensibilities were offended and that it really wasn't that big a deal. 

Opening the closet door, she grabbed a towel, smiled, and then grabbed another. 

Ichabod had their meal plated and was standing dutifully by the patio table when she came back outside. Abbie watched as his mouth dropped open in slack-jawed awe when he took her in and couldn't help the little thrill that went through her as a result. 

"Thought I'd dress to match so you wouldn't feel so out of place," she grinned as she handed him a towel matching the one she was currently wearing. 

He took in and then let out a deep breath before smiling as he took the towel from her. "You needn't have done that, Lieutenant."

"I know. But I wanted to. I'd rather wear a towel than have you be unable to act normally because of how hyper aware you are of not wearing anything while I'm still fully clothed. You can't feel awkward sitting there in a towel if I'm in one too." 

He wrapped the towel around his waist, overtop of the apron, and tucked it in. 

Abbie smiled. "There. Now it's like you're wearing a terrycloth kilt."

Ichabod chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Not quite. But at least I'm no longer exposed. Thank you, Lieutenant."

"No problem, Crane."

He gestured toward the table. "Shall we?" 

"Absolutely." Abbie slid into her seat, noticing the way Ichabod's eyes tracked her movements as she gingerly crossed her legs. "I am starved. What made you decide to use the barbecue anyway?"

Ichabod cleared his throat and once again met her gaze. "My thinking was to take advantage of the warmer weather before the inevitable descent of fall and its cooler temperatures had us scurrying indoors."

"Last summer bash," Abbie supplied.

"Indeed."

"'S a good plan. I was this close to thinking about organizing a search party for you when I came in and couldn't find you though," she laughed. "For a second there I thought maybe some demon or something got to you."

"Apologies for causing you worry, Lieutenant. Thankfully this area is still free of demonic activities and no harm has come to my person, only to my pride," he added with a self deprecating smile. 

Abbie looked up from her meal to grin at him. "Look at you finding bits of humour in the situation. I have to ask though, what made you decide to put absolutely all of your clothing into the laundry at once? There must have been something still clean enough for you to wear." 

"I honestly thought I'd have enough time to complete it and didn't see the point of holding some of it back when I was home alone and thus it didn't matter if I had anything to wear in the interim," he explained. "I fully expected to be dressed and ready to greet you by the time you arrived." 

"Instead I got to see that maybe your time spent with Franklin had him rub off on you a little more than you'd like to admit," she joked. He sputtered and she cackled when up went the finger.

"I'll have you know, Lieutenant," he began, laughing softly in spite of himself, "Franklin walked around in the nude in lieu of bathing. You should be thankful that habit did not, in fact, rub off on me."

"Oh, gross," Abbie replied, making a face. "You're right. Poor time management Crane is much better than non bathing Crane." She took a bite of her steak and moaned at the taste. "But chef Crane remains a favourite."

Ichabod smiled at that. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm pleased you enjoy it." 

They ate their meal amidst pleasant conversation but every so often Abbie caught Ichabod stealing furtive glances at her towel. A time or two she'd even found him gazing at the exposed skin of her arms and legs and once she may have shepherded his gaze by lightly trailing her fingers across her collarbone. 

Completely by accident of course. It wasn't that she was trying to call attention to the bare skin of her chest and it definitely wasn't that she was affected in any way by the way he looked at her or the patches of skin left visible by Ichabod's own towel and apron.

"A query, Lieutenant," Ichabod spoke suddenly as their meal came to an end. "Would it be safe to assume you…" He let the sentence trail off and shook his head, thinking better of whatever question he was about to ask.

"I what? Am not wearing anything under this towel?" she guessed with a quirk of her lips.

Ichabod turned red and looked down at his plate. "I know it's highly inappropriate of me to even think of asking such a thing but I find myself distracted and I can't keep from wondering."

Abbie leaned back in her chair, amused. "I didn't think you'd actually admit to that being what you wanted to ask. Do you really want to know?"

"Do you think me incapable of handling the answer? Because I can assure you, Lieutenant, I am quite capable of handling anything you see fit to reveal." 

Abbie sat there stunned. The smirk on his lips, the eyebrow raised in challenge, and the way his eyes remained unwavering in their gaze let her know he knew exactly what he was saying with that little double entendre. Where had this bravado come from? Wasn't he just ducking his head and blushing at being caught wanting to ask an ungentlemanly question? 

Abbie shifted in her seat and tried to rectify the fact Ichabod had somehow managed to turn things around so that she was now the one feeling bashful. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "I don't know, Crane. Just the possibility of what I might reveal had you distracted all night."

"It wasn't so much the possibility as the uncertainty that caused distraction. You needn't have stripped down entirely when you decided to show solidarity by coming down wearing your own towel. I had no choice in the matter but you had no obligation to forgo your underthings." He smiled, leaning closer to her over the table. "So the question then becomes, to what degree of solidarity did you commit?" 

To what degree did she commit? She was all in. And the fact that at no point after she decided to do this had it even crossed her mind to not go all in was definitely something to dissect later but right now, she wasn't yet ready to give that information up. 

She stared at him for a moment, letting a lazy smile spread across her lips. "Wouldn't you like to see." 

"I would indeed."

Abbie let out a surprised laugh. "You showed me yours so I should show you mine?"

"If that was something you were offering, who would I be to decline?"

In a night full of surprises, Ichabod Crane basically admitting to wanting to see her naked ranked pretty much at the top. Though it was said playfully she knew it wasn't just banter and was once again struck speechless. 

Abbie wasn't sure what she should do with this information. Play it off? Ignore the truths hidden beneath the humour and continue to deny what's been brewing between them for months, maybe even years if she's being honest with herself? Call his bluff and offer to show him? Force the ball into his court? Which she knew would probably yield the same result as if she decided to play it off. As bold as he's been, she couldn't see him being bold enough to take that last step, no matter how much he might have wanted to. If things were going to change between them she would have to be the one to initiate it. But did she really want that change? Things were really good between them. What if they tried something and it didn't work? Which led to her final option. She could run. Run and hope Ichabod just never broached the subject again. 

She stood up from the table and walked back into the house. She didn't have to wait long before a sheepish Ichabod followed in behind her. 

"Forgive me, Lieutenant. Clearly I–"

Abbie stopped the rest of his words with a finger to his lips. 

"You wanted to know the degree of my commitment?" she asked and before Ichabod could give a reply or even get a handle on what was happening, she'd untucked her towel and let it drop to the floor. "I'm all in."

"Lieutenant," Ichabod breathed. His eyes did a quick scan of her body and then resolutely returned to and remained on her face. "What…?"

She grinned up at him, the hope and adoration discernible behind the confusion on his face telling her she'd made the right choice. Things were going to change between them but in a lot of ways, nothing was going to change at all. 

"Couldn't very well show you out there and risk the neighbours seeing," she explained. 

He took a hesitant step toward her. "Is this just…? Or are you…?"

"I'm all in, Crane," she reiterated, eyeing him meaningfully. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers, threading their fingers together between them. "All in."

"Abbie," Ichabod marvelled. The fingers of his other hand trailed across her brow and down the side of her face as he gazed upon her. "I always hoped but I never imagined…"

"I know I must have made it hard to imagine," she said, eyes fluttering closed as the backs of his fingers continued lightly on down her neck and across her collarbone. "I didn't even really let myself imagine until a little bit ago." She shook her head and laughed. "I stripped down to nothing and had myself convinced it was just because I was being a good friend." 

"While you are indeed a good friend I must admit I'm pleased to know this is not something you'd do for just any of your friends," he chuckled with her. He scanned her body again, his eyes taking her in more fully this time. "My god you are exquisite."

Abbie smiled. "I think it's time this apron came off." She reached up behind his neck and took hold of the halter strap to guide it over his head. The pull on the fabric caused his towel to come loose and it soon joined hers on the floor and then all that was keeping the apron from following suit was the tie at his back. 

Abbie's eyes never left his as Ichabod reached back to untie the strings. She slid her hands up the newly bared expanse of his chest and only when she felt the apron join the growing pile at their feet did she hazard a glance downward. He was well on his way to being fully hard and twitched as she regarded him. 

"Eager to prove how well you can handle things?" she smirked, looking up at him through her lashes.

"I did assure you of my capability," he smiled in return and they both laughed, completely at ease with this transition in their relationship, as he reached up with one hand to cup her jaw. 

He leaned down and finally brought his mouth to hers and if there were any doubts still lingering somewhere in the corners of Abbie's mind, this kiss definitely put them to rest. Her hands went up to his face as she arched up on her toes to get closer to him and his arm wrapped around her waist to pull her closer still. 

"So far so good," Abbie breathed when they pulled back.

"I'm so pleased you approve," Ichabod rasped. 

She yelped when she then found herself being lifted off her feet carried over to his bed where the both dropped, giggling, to the mattress. 

He crowded over her. "So many nights I've lain awake, plagued by thoughts of you in this bed and now that you're here, I hardly know where to begin," he admitted, his eyes roving her body as his hand travelled a path between her breasts. "You are a treasure trove of delights just waiting to be explored."

"The area your hand is steadily heading toward is as good a place as any to start that exploration," she said, trying her best not to writhe under his hand because he'd barely even touched her yet. 

Ichabod looked down to where his hand now sat low on her belly. "Straight to the point as always, Lieutenant," he smirked. "However, I think I shall begin my explorations here." He used his other hand to angle her head back and then his mouth was making contact with the base of her throat and slowly working its way upward. 

Her fingers tangled in his hair as he sucked kisses across her jawline and when he reached the end he moved his kisses back down the other side of her neck. Abbie moaned in encouragement as he continued on down her sternum where he paused. Her eyes opened and she found him gazing back at her when she looked down at him in question.

The hand that he'd been keeping at her abdomen started to slide downward again. He held her gaze as it moved lower and lower but Abbie's eyes fluttered closed and her head tipped back, sucking in a breath, when his fingers trailed through the curls at her apex. 

His touch was teasingly light. As were the kisses he left on her breasts as he continued to gaze up at her. His fingers ran up and down the seam of her folds, never venturing further, and the effect had Abbie's core throbbing. Her hips thrust wantonly, trying to coax his fingers inside, and she tugged restlessly at his hair but he remained steadfast in his teasing. 

Abbie tossed her head back and groaned. "Ichabod." She knew what he was doing. He was working her up to the point of insanity as proof of his capability. She was about to remind him that to prove himself capable he needed to do more than tease when she noticed the soft kisses on her chest had stopped. When she looked down at him again to see why, she saw the blue was almost completely gone from his eyes. 

A slow smile tugged at her lips. Seemed Ichabod liked the sound of her using his given name. 

"Are you capable of more than just teasing, Ichabod?" 

With that, a fire appeared to have ignited beneath him. He surged forward and claimed her mouth in a fervid kiss, tongue twining with her own. The feathery touch at the apex of her thighs was abandoned and she moaned into his mouth as he parted her folds and slipped a finger into the awaiting wetness there. 

Abbie broke away and gasped for breath. His finger slipped out of her long enough to spread her moisture around and then it and another pushed back inside. Her back arched, pressing her chest even harder to Ichabod's mouth as he suckled at her breasts. His thumb found her slicked clit and rubbed tiny circles onto in.

"Oh god," she whimpered, head thrown back. She was going to come. He was going to make her come.

"Lieutenant," he called. "Abbie, look at me, Treasure."

It was hard for her to focus through the pleasure induced fog but she did as he asked and met his gaze with hers. What she saw in it only intensified things and it wasn't long after that she was crying out in release. 

Ichabod kissed her face sweetly as she recovered and when she got her wits back enough to think about moving again, she reached up and guided his mouth to hers. 

"What else you got?" she asked with an impish grin when she pulled back.

Ichabod chuckled softly. "My capabilities have still yet to be proven? Luckily I remain up for the challenge."

"I'll say," Abbie grinned, reaching down between them to take him in hand. He hissed at the sensation. 

"Do we need…?" he fumbled to ask. "I understand it is common now to…"

Abbie shook her head. "I'm on birth control. So we're good." 

He kissed her again, settling himself more fully between her thighs. Her legs trailed slowly up his sides as she brought her knees up and she cradled his face in her hands, fingers stroking his bread as she deepened their kiss. 

They gazed into each other's eyes as Ichabod braced his hand next to her head to take himself in hand and then steadily guided himself inside of her. 

"Oh yeah," Abbie let out in a soft sigh. She followed the ridge of his brow with her thumb and then carded her fingers back through his hair and pulled him down into another kiss by the back of his neck. 

He hitched one of her legs up a little higher and suddenly things started to feel so much better than they already did. 

"Oh god, yes!" she cried, throwing her head back. Her hands travelled up the plains of his back and gripped his shoulders. "That's so good," she rasped. "You feel so good."

Abbie punctuated each of his strokes with an involuntary moan, her hips eagerly canting upwards to met his every thrust. The pleasure coursing through her was so much she almost didn't know what to do, writhing and arching beneath him. She wanted it to at once both blissfully end and never stop and told him the latter, fingers combing through his hair, tugging at the strands and lightly scratching his scalp. 

"I would stay inside of you forever," Ichabod replied. He closed his eyes in concentration and dropped his head to hers. "Abbie," he panted. 

"I'm almost there." Her eyes fluttered in pleasure, wanting to close, but she forced them to remain open, needing to look at him, to see the feelings acknowledged but still as yet unsaid reflected back at her through his eyes. "Crane. Look at me, Ichabod," she called, mirroring his words from earlier.

He pulled back just enough to be able to lock gazes with her and opened his eyes. And it was everything Abbie needed. Her last thought before the oblivion of climax took hold of them both was she hoped her eyes were shining just as brightly. 

They came down almost simultaneously, both panting for breath. Abbie brought a languid hand up to brush the hair back from his face. 

"Hi," she said, giggling at the absurdity of her greeting.

"Hello," Ichabod laughed in return. He flopped onto his side beside her with a satisfied groan.

"Damn, that was amazing." Abbie stretch out her legs and felt them tremble in response. "My legs are still shaking," she giggled. Ichabod's hand smoothed over her thigh as if he wanted to feel the small tremors for himself. 

"I trust that means I've now proven myself capable," he stated.

Abbie turned her head and found him grinning at her. "You'll do," she replied, biting back a grin of her own. 

Sighing, she turned onto her side and wormed herself closer to him. "I can't believe all of this happened because you spilled something on your clothes," she said, threading her fingers through his.

"A very happy blunder indeed, as it turns out," he smiled. "It certainly didn't seem that way when you first arrived."

"I'd never seen you so red," she laughed. "And it was all over." She ran her hand over his chest for emphasis. 

Ichabod ducked his head. "Yes, well."

"It was cute," she assured. "But thank god for that marinade. Made for an amazing steak and it lead us to this." She snuggled closer to him. 

"A moment of discomfort for a lifetime of happiness is a trade gladly made."

"A lifetime of happiness, huh?" she smirked and before the worry she knew was probably coursing through his mind could spiral out of control added, "I like the sound of that."


End file.
